The Edge - January 2020

6
Judge us by the companies we keep...
Employer engagement at Warrington & Vale Royal College
Trips, visits and guest
speakers are just some of
the many activities that build
up Warrington & Vale Royal
College student’s study
programmes. Our fantastic
links with employers across
the region means that 100%
of our students have access
to amazing work-related
opportunities.
students are learning with the most
up-to-date resources.
L+S Training visited health &
social care and childcare students
to deliver first aid training,
teaching them vital skills they
will require as they progress
throughout their careers.
Every month we host ‘Meet the
Employer’ activities giving our
students the opportunity to network
with subject-specific employers
and education providers. Last
month we invited Active Cheshire
into the college to visit our Level
2 & 3 Sport students, where they
discussed opportunities for careers
within the industry.
with managers and mentors before
receiving certificates to mark the
occasion. Well done Daniel, Ellis,
George, Harrison and Liam!
Warrington & Vale Royal College
regularly welcomes university
representatives to its campuses
to talk to students about their next
steps. Laura from Manchester
Metropolitan University and
Andrew from Liverpool John
Moores University shared their
knowledge on the application
process, personal statements and
the hundreds of study options
available at their universities.
Brickwork and multi-skills students
enjoyed a talk and tool
demonstration by Tim Jewitt from
the family-run business Footprint
Tools, a British Hand Tool
manufacturer with a heritage of
manufacturing in the UK dating
back to the 1760s.
Brickwork also recently received
an extremely generous donation of
approximately 10,000 bricks from
Michelmersh Brick Holdings PLC.
Brickwork were not the only
department to receive a generous
donation last term. Our electrical
department also received new
sockets and switches from
Electrium Sales, ensuring our
Alzheimer’s Society have
helped a number of our Health &
Social Care students to become
‘Dementia Friends’. A Dementia
Friend is somebody that learns
about dementia so they can
help their community by raising
awareness and understanding.
State of Mind Sport came to our
Warrington campus to speak to our
sport, joinery and motor vehicle
courses to discuss the power of
sport to promote positive mental
health. Phil and Ian delivered a
truly motivating talk about their
experiences as professional rugby
league players.
Our campuses have recently
received some very special visitors
from Therapy Dogs Nationwide.
Eddie, Freya and Lottie provided
our students with affection and
support. These very special dogs
are frequent visitors to hospitals,
retirement homes, nursing homes,
schools and hospices, providing
comfort, distraction and stimulation
to those that need it most.
Earlier this academic year
a number of the college’s
electrical apprentices celebrated
completing the first year of
their apprenticeship with Tata
Chemicals. The apprentices
gathered at a celebratory event
Level 2 & 3 Media Make-up
students applied make-up on the
performers at Warrington
Contemporary Arts Festival’s ‘Light
Night’! Held in Palmyra Square,
the event introduced local families
to a collection of world-class art
and performance displays, from
giant, light-up musical instruments
to theatrical street performers. The
production company were really
impressed by our students.
Apprentice Emily Bretnall is named Business
Services Apprentice of the Year finalist for UK
Nuclear Skills Awards
Former Level 5 Human
Resources apprentice Emily
Bretnall has been shortlisted as
a finalist for NSAN’s (National
Skills Academy for Nuclear)
UK Nuclear Skills Awards
2020 in the Business Services
Apprentice category.
Pictured: Apprentice Emily Bretnall with
tutor, Tracy Callaghan
The awards ceremony, which takes
place in Manchester on Thursday
12th March 2020, will celebrate
the successes and achievements
of the nuclear industry’s future
and current superstars who have
been nominated for awards in
Apprentice, Graduate, STEM,
Subject Matter Expert and Equality,
Inclusion and Diversity disciplines.
Emily is currently employed
as a HR Advisor for Nuvia, an
international nuclear engineering,
project management and service
provider based in Warrington. She
began her level 5 apprenticeship at
Warrington & Vale Royal College
in December 2017 and completed
in July 2019 with a CIPD Level 5
qualification.
At our annual HE Awards
Ceromony, Emily received the
Warrington & Vale Royal College
CIPD Student of the Year Award
which she was nominated for by
her tutor Tracy Callaghan.
Emily said: “I thoroughly enjoyed
my apprenticeship and am very
grateful for the excellent support
from my mentor Jill Murphy and
tutor Tracy Callaghan.
“To come from a non-nuclear
background and to be a finalist at
the Nuclear Skills Awards gives me
a great sense of achievement. In
early December I had to undertake
an interview and deliver a
presentation to a panel of judges.
I’m very proud of how far I’ve come.”
We wish Emily the best of luck and
will be keeping our fingers crossed
for the good news in March!
Amazing Alumni!
We love welcoming former
students back to Warrington &
Vale Royal College to speak to
our current students and inspire
them in making their next steps.
Since leaving the college, Dylan
Smith has joined the British Army
as a Communications System
Operator after successfully
completing our Level 3 Public
Services course.
Dylan said: “The course gave me
an insight into what to expect from
a career in the armed forces. I
loved learning from the tutors who
have so much experience within
the public services industry.”
Thank you for visiting, Dylan!
01925 494 494 Campuses in Warrington and Winsford Warrington & Vale Royal College
wvr.ac.uk